Quote:A German U-boat that – according to maritime folklore – was abandoned after being attacked by a sea monster has been discovered off the coast of Scotland.
The vessel is believed to be the UB-85, which according to official records was sunk by HMS Coreopsis in 1918.However, according to naval folklore the vessel suffered a far stranger fate, with the crew reportedly claiming they abandoned the vessel after it was attacked by a 'sea monster.'
On being rescued by HMS Coreopsis, the vessel's captain, Captain Krech, reportedly described how the vessel was attacked by a beast with "large eyes, set in a horny sort of skull… with teeth that could be seen glistening in the moonlight".
He claimed the vessel was so damaged in its battle with the monster it could no longer submerge. It was found floating on the surface of the sea by HMS Coreopsis.
Dr Innes McCartney, a marine archaeologist who helped identify the largely intact wreckage, told ther BBC that evidence suggested it was "a UBIII-Class submarine, of which we know of two which were lost in the area – the more famous UB-85 and its sister boat UB-82".
However, Dr McCartney said legends of a sea monster attack arose as a result of secrecy surrounding the first campaign against submarine warfare and of journalists and ex-navy men "talking late at night, after having a nice time".
He added: "I don't think it was a sea monster. I like the idea of Nessie doing her bit for the war effort but in reality the real sea monster was the U-boat."
He told The Guardian: "You've got to remember that after the war the records were sealed, but there were all these people with some connection to British intelligence who yearned to boast of mighty deeds at sea but couldn't tell the true stories. The true sea monsters of the first world war were the submarines themselves."
The discovery was made by engineers involved in the £1bn Western Link project to lay a subsea power line between Ayrshire and the Wirral, which will supply Scottish renewable energy to England and Wales.

Quote:According to Captain Krech, his U Boat surfaced the night before in order to recharge the submarines batteries. Krech was on deck with some men and a few of his officers, getting some fresh air and having a smoke, when an abrupt surge rocked the ship and a heavy weight seemed to bring down the starboard bow. Out of the darkness of the night, what the captain referred to as, a strange beast climbed out of the ocean and onto the side of the U Boat. The following is the description of the beast as told by Captain Krech to his British captors:

"This beast had large eyes, set in a horny sort of skull. It had a small head, but with teeth that could be seen glistening in the moonlight. Every man on watch began firing a sidearm at the beast, but the animal had hold of the forward gun mount and refused to let go."

Captain Krech continued, stating the proportions of the beast were so immense that it rocked the U Boat and caused it to list greatly to the starboard side. Fearing that the ships open hatch would dip below the water line, which would subsequently flood the U Boat and sink it, Captain Krech ordered his men to continue their barrage. The crew continued firing upon the beast until it finally released the forward guns and disappeared back into the night blackened ocean.

Krech noted that during the struggle the forward deck plating of the UB-85 had been damaged rendering the U Boat incapable of submerging, the reason why the Coreopsis was able to catch the UB-85 at the surface. The crews retelling of the encounter, along with that of the captains, was chronicled by members of the British Navy only hours after the U Boat was found. The UB-85 was then cleared of any remaining crew that may have remained on board and sunk by the Coreopsis.

We all believe in something greater than ourselves. Even if it's just the blind forces of chance. Ambassador G'Kar.

Subject: I have a black cat.
Believer: Black cats are bad luck.
Non-believer: It's just a cat.
Crackpot: Black cats are part of the New World Order government conspiracy.
Skeptic: I can test if black cats are more or less lucky than another cat.
Cynic: You only have a black cat to gain power and prestige.